We are committed to sourcing the raw materials used in our own-brand products responsibly, collaborating with others to drive systemic change and being transparent about our progress.
We recognise the potential negative impacts that raw materials used in our products can have on people, animals and the natural environment. At the same time, there is a huge opportunity through our sourcing decisions to drive positive change in communities and landscapes across the world.
We form strong and enduring relationships with our suppliers and expert partners, collaborating to develop ethical and responsible approaches to sourcing practices, and to collectively raise industry standards. Taking a risk-based approach we focus our attention on our highest volume and highest impact raw materials and supply chains first. We are committed to ensuring the key raw materials in our own-brand products will be from more sustainable or recycled sources (this applies to soya, palm oil, cocoa, timber, cotton, feather & down and cashmere by 2025, and leather, polyester and man-made cellulosics by 2028. We’re also working to improve the transparency of our sourcing practices.
We are committed to zero deforestation in the sourcing of our key raw materials across relevant Waitrose and John Lewis own-brand product supply chains (soy, palm oil, cocoa, beef, leather, timber and man-made cellulosics). We do not have all the answers today but building on our work to date, we will create change through improving our own sourcing standards and by directly engaging with businesses in our supply chains.
What we know for sure is that if we are to ultimately stop deforestation and loss of precious ecosystems like the Amazon, achieving sufficient scale of impact to deliver systemic change in global commodity supply chains is vital. This means that the best possible outcomes for nature must necessarily come from an ongoing process of engaging, advocating and collaborating with other businesses and organisations, to influence policy, raise standards, and take action to make responsible sourcing and zero deforestation production the norm across producer and consumer markets.
We are committed to doing this proactively, and are currently working to an own-brand zero deforestation target date of 2028 for those key raw materials where we don't already have a target of 2025. As part of our SBTi FLAG target, we have also committed to a zero deforestation target for soya covering all products by 2025/26. The definitions and cut-off dates used for these deforestation targets align with the best practice guidance of the Accountability Framework Initiative.
As part of the UK Environment Act, the introduction of due diligence legislation for forest risk commodities will support our efforts to source commodities more responsibly, through the implementation of measures to tackle deforestation in commodity supply chains from high risk areas.
Human rights in commodity supply chains
We take the human rights of those working in these raw material supply chains very seriously. You can find out more on our approach to Human rights in our latest Modern Slavery Statement.
After working closely with key supplier Artwell, John Lewis is one of the first retailers to announce that all own-brand pure cashmere womenswear is Sustainable Fibre Alliance certified.
This further demonstrates that we prioritise high welfare standards for animals, whilst striving to safeguard livelihoods and minimise our cashmere products’ impact on nature. The Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA) works with the entire supply chain – from herders to retailers – to promote responsibly produced cashmere.
This means that by securing SFA-certified cashmere, John Lewis is leading the way among retailers with its own-brand womenswear cashmere range, safeguarding the livelihoods of herders as well as ensuring the welfare of animals throughout the supply chain.
In practice, the result for John Lewis customers is that they can be sure this cashmere clothing adheres to best practice for responsible production, including mandating good goat welfare, looking after biodiversity, using land responsibly, promoting decent work, enhancing fibre quality and operating an effective management system.
Alongside the certification, John Lewis has introduced QR codes on labels across its cashmere range. Customers can scan the code to discover material details and recommended care instructions, helping to increase the lifespan of the item and reduce its environmental footprint.
This work forms part of the commitments set out in Our Plan for Nature, pledging to source 100% of pure cashmere and other key raw materials from more sustainable or recycled sources by 2025.
“John Lewis has been a leading member of SFA having joined at an important phase of our early development. John Lewis has enabled SFA to reach suppliers in areas which may not have been accessible without their support.”
Una Jones
CEO & Founder of the Sustainable Fibre Alliance (SFA)